Online Gambling Addiction: A Study among College Students of Kerala State, India

Abstract

Online Gambling may increase rates of disordered gambling due to its high degree of accessibility, immersive interface and simply spending money for these activities. The problem of college students developing an addiction to internet gambling has received increased attention recently in India. The availability of online gambling sites and the pervasive use of mobile devices puts a lot of college students at risk of developing a gambling addiction. Teenagers engage in both regulated and non-regulated forms of gambling. Different forms of non-regulated gambling activities include skill-based games, dice, sports betting, and card games amongst peers. Online gambling has opened the doors for entrepreneurs to be involved in fraud, theft, extortion, and money laundering in the gambling sites. This study through a questionnaire survey investigates the exponential growth of online gambling. The objective of the study is to bring out the demographic variables’ influence on online gambling addiction among college Students.